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 After Eight Title Fights and Eight Hours of Boxing, Graciousness Rules in Atlantic City
By Eddie Goldman
(December 15, 2003)
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ATLANTIC CITY, Dec. 14 – It was a card built up by some of the ugliest threats and trash-talking in the often ugly and trashy history of boxing. The Dec. 13 eight-title fight extravaganza at a sold-out Boardwalk Hall also featured much ugly action inside the ring, courtesy of a clinch-filled heavyweight fight between John Ruiz and Hasim Rahman, a foul-filled performance by Ricardo Mayorga in his losing and awkward effort against Cory Spinks, and a controversial knockout by Travis Simms against Alejando Garcia as Garcia let down his guard while incorrectly expecting the referee to call for a break.
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 New Video - Bernard Hopkins Right After the Fight See what the Undisputed Champ had to say (and it was a lot) about his future in boxing and now as a self promoter. Also, Hopkins says he wants De La Hoya next.
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 New Video - Ricardo Mayorga after His Loss To Spinks
After his loss to Cory Spinks, Mayorga says he wants an immediate rematch and "Guarantee's" he'd knock Spinks out.
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But at the end of the night, or rather early the next morning since it began about 1 AM and ran to about 2 AM, the post-fight press conference featured some of the most conciliatory, thoughtful, and respectful comments heard in a long time in the boxing world.
Speaking for a chastened and now former welterweight champ Ricardo Mayorga, manager Carl King, also the son of promoter Don King, offered his apologies to the new undisputed welterweight king, Cory Spinks. The younger King admitted that there were "some very bad things" said by Mayorga in the pre-fight build-up, referring to boasts that after the fight Spinks would have to join his deceased mother "in heaven," and other tasteless epithets.
After this apology, Carl King shook hands with Spinks, who was seated on the other side of the podium on the dais. Still, King criticized referee Tony Orlando, referring to his deduction of a critical two points for fouls committed by Mayorga during the match, and said that a rematch which his camp desired should be held in a location other than New Jersey.
The victorious Spinks was also gracious. He said that like Mayorga, he proved that he would fight anyone. Spinks said he felt that all boxers should have that attitude of "don't protect anyone." He added that he would agree to an eventual rematch, but now he has eyes on Shane Mosley. Referring to Mayorga's conditional agreement to fight Mosley on March 13 in Las Vegas, Spinks said that "he disrespected me also by making plans before we fought." But after a fight with Mosley -- which has yet to be made -- he said he could do a rematch.
Hasim Rahman was also conciliatory. He apologized for what everyone had seen: an ugly fight. But Rahman, who lost by unanimous decision, insisted that he should have been given the nod because he controlled the fight with his jab. He also wants a rematch, which appears to be highly unlikely after such an admittedly ugly fight. After this loss and his more controversial draw with David Tua in March, Rahman cracked, "I'm going to have to bring my own judges to the fight."
A man never shy about stating his opinions, still undisputed middleweight champ Bernard Hopkins also offered an apology. This one was for letting trainer Bouie Fisher go, with whom he was reunited for this fight. "I lost my senses for a couple of years," Hopkins acknowledged, but added, directing his remarks to the assembled media, "I'm not the bad guy you think I am."
Calling himself the "American Dream," Hopkins said that previously his main goal was to "stay out of the penitentiary" after a five-year stretch in the 1980s at Graterford Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. That was followed by a nine-year parole, which few expected the then-22-year-old African-American male to complete without a return trip. Except, of course, Hopkins.
Holding his sleepy-eyed, three-year-old daughter in his arms as he spoke, Hopkins proudly stated, "This is what I fight for." Then, one month shy of his 39th birthday, Hopkins asked, "Do I look old tonight?"
He again challenged Oscar De La Hoya to a fight. He also said that he was following in the path of men like Jim Brown, Satchel Paige, and Muhammad Ali, all ground-breaking African-American athletes.
Hopkins graciously informed everyone that he would be making good on his $50,000 bet with William Joppy that he would knock him out. Without missing a beat, he told us when he would pay up: "Tonight."
Even in officially announcing his impending break-up with Don King, Hopkins was gracious. Hopkins will be forming his own promotional company, EX Promotions. But the reason is "not what Don did or didn't do," he explained. Simply put, he said, "My time is up. I am paroled."
Hopkins added that he hopes his new company will be able to co-promote with King and "all of them." And quoting a real old school entertainer and boxing buff, and also a New Jerseyian, "old blue eyes," Hopkins proclaimed it was all done "my own way." (Now maybe they can play some of old blue eyes' music when the fighters approach the ring.)
Even a visibly tired Don King was accommodating. At about 2 AM, with the clean-up crew ready to close up the press conference room and his staff dragging him off the stage, the wiry-haired promoter agreed to conduct one last interview.
You can see it on our special members-only video section, because it was with us, MaxBoxing.com. (Also stay tuned for more interviews on "Knockout Radio" later this week.)
Now, everyone knows that much of the typical pre-fight trash talk is empty hype just contrived to sell tickets and get quick if cheap media coverage. And a portion of this post-fight graciousness is no doubt motivated by the desire to do future business with those being addressed. But that is only part of the message here.
Much of the ethically-challenged media, meaning all of the television coverage of boxing and most of the newspaper coverage, lap the slop up like a stray dog finding a puddle of beer. Some of the Internet reporters imitate this approach as well. Thus, when many formerly bad-mouthing boxing folks let down their guards and speak humbly, wisely, and respectfully, little or nothing of this makes it into their reports.
Remember this lesson when you choose where to go for boxing coverage, whether you are a fan, fighter, promoter, manager, official, publicist, or part of the media yourself. You will get the good, the bad, and the ugly all here, just as it happens. If you want the trash that is aimed at morons, marks, and maniacs, then go to the many landfills mentioned above. If you want the sweet along with the sour of this Sweet Science, then make sure this web site is prominently bookmarked on your list of favorites.
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E-Mail Eddie Goldman at knockoutradio@aol.com
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